Mustafa Koliva’s young son was playing one day with a toy cat, knit for him by his aunt in Turkey, when the family’s dog took notice.

“My son started to fight the dog. The dog loved it. We couldn’t believe it,” Koliva said.

Koliva, an Upland resident, began to sell the hand-knit toys to high-end pet boutiques in California soon after, in 2006.

The company, OoMaLoo, uses the talents of Turkish women who make the products, including his sister, niece and women who live in or near Istanbul.

“They’re artists,” Koliva said. “They can do anything from yarn and fabric.”

From the best-selling octopus and soft pink flamingo to holiday favorites such as the jack-o’-lantern, OoMaLoo’s funky and furry designs appeal to both pet owners and their canine companions for their durability and fun factor, Koliva said.

But the young company has struggled to take off under the weight of the economic downturn, unable to find funding to expand the business.

It’s not that the company hasn’t seen demand.

In the last two years, OoMaLoo has turned down two large orders – one for 20,000 toys. Koliva’s company could not afford the upfront manufacturing costs, Koliva said.

Koliva and his wife, JoShell, are partners in the business, which they run out of their home. JoShell, who grew up in Arcadia, met Mustafa while visiting an American friend in Turkey. After marrying and living in Turkey for four years, the pair moved to the U.S. in 2002 in the aftermath of an economic crash in Turkey.

JoShell also works full-time as an English teacher at Valley View High School in Ontario.

She said she came up with the name of the company, OoMaLoo, from memories of her mother, who would rub noses with her growing up and tell her the words mean, “I love you” in an Arctic language.

The couple handle OoMaLoo’s operations in the U.S., including cultivating relationships with pet boutiques. Their 11-year-old son also pitches in on ideas. He designed a bat toy that sold out this year.

JoShell said she enjoys including her son in the family business.

“I think kids sometimes look for things that are quirkier, cooler,” JoShell said. “Sometimes adults can get a little jaded because we have input from so many different sources. Sometimes kids have a fresher eye.”

OoMaLoo uses eyelash yarn dyed in bright colors for the toys. The unique texture feels like a prey’s fur to the dogs, JoShell said.

Koliva’s sister and niece in Turkey help in the design and are responsible for making the toys and other products, such as scarves and sweaters. Koliva’s sister coordinates the employment of about 80 women who live in nearby villages. Because of traditional gender roles in Turkey, many of these women must stay at home to take care of their families. Working for OoMaLoo brings them the flexibility to make money from home, Koliva said.

They’re “very talented women,” Koliva said. “Most don’t have any education at all, not even elementary school, but they can knit. They can do all kinds of crafts from the yarn. My sister gives them yarn and they bring the products to us.”

Koliva said the women are well-paid.

Doggie Styles, a pet boutique in Beverly Hills, has been selling OoMaLoo products for four years. Mike Campbell, the shop’s owner, said he believes the toys contain some of the best squeakers in the business. The sound brings out the hunting instinct in dogs, he said.

“I really do think that the squeaker, while piercing to us, the dogs love,” Campbell said.

Campbell said the toys are difficult for dogs to destroy because they are hand-made. One of his customers has a dozen OoMaLoo toys, he said, because they are her dachshund’s favorite.

While he has noticed his customers cutting back on high-end pet products, OoMaLoo has sustained its popularity, he said.

Starting his business in the outset of the Great Recession brought many doubts to his mind, Koliva said.

“Oh, yeah. I was regretting,” Koliva said. “What on earth, why did I start this?”

But this year, the company grew 12 percent in revenue from 2009, he said. He said he believes 2012 will be the good year his company needs to take off.

“In the U.S., we know the future will be very good,” Koliva said. “We know the products, everybody likes. We just need to hang in there.”

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